TAMPA, Fla. -- The New York Islanders were mentally prepared for Game 1 of their Stanley Cup semifinal series. The Tampa Bay Lightning were not.
"Our work ethic was there. Our compete [level] was there. Our minds weren't there," said Lightning coach Jon Cooper, whose team lost 2-1 on Sunday afternoon. "Some of our decisions were poor. That's what happens when you get this deep into the playoffs. You have to have everything working in unison and we just weren't there tonight."
The Lightning looked disjointed in Game 1. Their passes didn't connect.